Present known multiple purpose cooking devices of the broiler-oven type typically have case structure defining a front open cavity and a door for closing the cavity, and heating elements in the cavity can be energized selectively for broiling or for baking food in the cavity. However, each of these known devices, on a commercial basis, requires personal care in observing or tending to the food, or requires timing or thermostatic controls to minimize overcooking of the food or of even damaging the food and creating a safety fire hazard.
There further are liquid tight vessel type cooking devices which steam or stew the food in water or other liquid and in the foods own juices. This type cooker allows for the mixing of differing foods, and the result is a stew or a soup with generally comingled flavors. Cookers of this type also operate for a slow cook cycle, requiring a minimum cooking span in excess of perhaps five to six hours and tolerating a maximum cooking span of ten to twelve hours, and generally without overcooking and/or significant loss in the taste of the food, and without necessary personal attention. However, the convenience factor of allowing unattended cooking frequently, in time at least, looses out to conventional broiler or oven type cooking because of the sameness of taste and appearance and/or because of the comingled stew like character of food cooked in such a unit.
Cooking units of the type mentioned above are illustrated in the: Smith et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,103,560; the Smith U.S. Pat. No. 2,048,572; the Meyer U.S. Pat. No. 2,138,706; The Crease et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,159,094; the Kramer U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,414; and the Young et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,360.